The activity I did is for students to explore and compare the attributes of several types of quadrilaterals’ diagonals. It provides a sketch that will show different types of quadrilaterals (parallelogram, quadrilateral, rhombus, square, rectangle and trapezoid). When students press the figure button, the related figure and data (distance of four sides, angles) will appear. Also, students can stretch and modify the figure by dragging their angles. At the same time, the related data will change with the changing figures.
Using the sketch, students are required to fill out a form about the diagonals’ attributes of different quadrilaterals (diagonals bisect, perpendicular, equal and forming congruent triangles).
Based on the learning standards of New York State,the activity matvhes the folloing standards:
Standard 1: Analysis, Inquiry, and Design
Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.
Standard 3: Mathematics (Approved 1996)
Students will understand mathematics and become mathematically confident by communicating and reasoning mathematically, by applying mathematics in real-world settings, and by solving problems through the integrated study of number systems, geometry, algebra, data analysis, probability, and trigonometry.
Standard 7: Interdisciplinary Problem Solving
Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.
(2b) Identification of the National Education Technology Standards
Based on the Nets for students 2007, the activity matches the following standard:
Standard 4 Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students:
a.
identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.
b.
plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.
c.
collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
d.
use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions.
(3) Definition and inquiry based rubric.
Inquiry is a type of activity that provides motivation to arouse learners' interests so that they could acquire knowledge and develop learning skills independently. During Inquiry, students shouldaccomplish the open tasks through high-level thinking, such as analyzing, synthesizing or evaluating the resources. Also, learners are encouraged to discuss or share learning.Finally, learners should solve problems or develop new theories or products(the open task). After Inquiry learning, students could apply the new achieved knowledge to their real life.
Inquiry Rubric
Criteria
Not Evident 1
Partial
2
Exemplary
3
Score
Independence
Teachers give all the information and instruct directly. There is no opportunity for students to acquire knowledge by themselves.
Teachers give related inforamion and guidance. Students have certain opportunity to acquire knowledge by themselves.
Learners are the main body of inquiry learning under teachers' guidance.Students should accomplish the task independently by their experience and new achieved knowledge.
High-level Thinking
Task requires simply comprehending and answering questions, not higher level thinking.
Task requires analysis of information and/or putting together information from several sources.
Task clearly requires synthesis of multiple sources of information. Students should collect, analyze, synthesize or evaluate the resources. Task requires higher level thinking.
Motivation
It is purely factual and cannot arouse learners’ interests. Little attempt is made to appeal to learners.
It somewhat arouses learners’ interests and be somewhat inspiring.
It arouses learners’ interests and be inspiring in order to get learners interested in learning.
New theories or products
(the open task)
There is only one answer, and students have no opportunity to create.
There are more than three answers, but students have no opportunity to create.
There could be various products depending on different students. And/or learners would develop new theories or products.
Discussion
Learners do not need to share and discuss with others.
It requires learners to share and discuss with others.
It arouses learners’ desire to share and discuss with others.
(4) Activities involving inquiry based learning and why?
None of our activities involves inquiry learning. The reasons are in question 5.
(5) Activities not involving inquiry based learning and why?
The activity of Yating's is not totally inquiry based learning, because:
1) The task requires students to observe, compare and explore the attributes of several types of quadrilaterals’ diagonals, but it does not require and encourage students to discuss and share learning.
2) Students will not produce new theories or product after the task, because it just requires students to observe, compare and explore the attributes of several types of quadrilaterals’ diagonals and then fill out the table about quadrilaterals’ diagonals. If there is one more step that assigned students to discuss with teammate and work out a conclusion, it would be batter.
The activity of Denise's is not inquiry based learning, because:
1) Actually, it is just a website with reading guides. The step 1~3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 just post the facts about “endangered species”.
2) Steps 4 and 11, which require students to answer questions, might be more difficult, but they do not need high-level thinking and the answers can be found out from the reading material directly.
3) There is no task for students to create new products. It, actually, is a reading activity.
4) There is no chance for students to discuss and share learning with others. (6) The best rubric for assessing inquiry learning
The rubric of Yating's would be the better one, though Denise's covers most points of inquiry, because:
1) Yating's rubric includes "independence", which is one of the unique features of inquiry. In many types of activities, such as classroom activities, students just usually follow the teacher but not accomplish tasks independently.
2) Yating's rubric includes "High-level thinking”, which distinguish inquiry from other similar activities, such as classroom activities. In general classroom activities, students need to receive teacher’s orders and finish exercises, which always have only one answer and do not require high-level thinking.
3) Denise's rubric mentions “encourages questioning and investigation” and “encourages discussion”, which partially reflect “motivation”, but it is not enough. “Motivation” should be a very important part in Inquiry and become a separate criterion.
(7) Use the Wiki to create a new group definition of inquiry based learning & (8) Using the Wiki creae a new group rubric for assessing Inquiry Based learning.
(1) Activity description.
The activity I did is for students to explore and compare the attributes of several types of quadrilaterals’ diagonals. It provides a sketch that will show different types of quadrilaterals (parallelogram, quadrilateral, rhombus, square, rectangle and trapezoid). When students press the figure button, the related figure and data (distance of four sides, angles) will appear. Also, students can stretch and modify the figure by dragging their angles. At the same time, the related data will change with the changing figures.
Using the sketch, students are required to fill out a form about the diagonals’ attributes of different quadrilaterals (diagonals bisect, perpendicular, equal and forming congruent triangles).
http://mste.illinois.edu/m2t2/geometry/quadsDiag.html
(2a) Identification of the specific NYS Standards
Based on the learning standards of New York State,the activity matvhes the folloing standards:
Standard 1: Analysis, Inquiry, and Design
Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.
Standard 3: Mathematics (Approved 1996)
Students will understand mathematics and become mathematically confident by communicating and reasoning mathematically, by applying mathematics in real-world settings, and by solving problems through the integrated study of number systems, geometry, algebra, data analysis, probability, and trigonometry.
Standard 7: Interdisciplinary Problem Solving
Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.
(2b) Identification of the National Education Technology Standards
Based on the Nets for students 2007, the activity matches the following standard:
Standard 4 Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students:
(3) Definition and inquiry based rubric.
Inquiry is a type of activity that provides motivation to arouse learners' interests so that they could acquire knowledge and develop learning skills independently. During Inquiry, students should accomplish the open tasks through high-level thinking, such as analyzing, synthesizing or evaluating the resources. Also, learners are encouraged to discuss or share learning. Finally, learners should solve problems or develop new theories or products(the open task). After Inquiry learning, students could apply the new achieved knowledge to their real life.
Inquiry Rubric
Criteria
Not Evident 1
Partial
2
Exemplary
3
Score
Independence
Teachers give all the information and instruct directly. There is no opportunity for students to acquire knowledge by themselves.
Teachers give related inforamion and guidance. Students have certain opportunity to acquire knowledge by themselves.
Learners are the main body of inquiry learning under teachers' guidance. Students should accomplish the task independently by their experience and new achieved knowledge.
High-level Thinking
Task requires simply comprehending and answering questions, not higher level thinking.
Task requires analysis of information and/or putting together information from several sources.
Task clearly requires synthesis of multiple sources of information. Students should collect, analyze, synthesize or evaluate the resources. Task requires higher level thinking.
Motivation
New theories or products
(the open task)
There is only one answer, and students have no opportunity to create.
There are more than three answers, but students have no opportunity to create.
There could be various products depending on different students. And/or learners would develop new theories or products.
Discussion
Learners do not need to share and discuss with others.
It requires learners to share and discuss with others.
It arouses learners’ desire to share and discuss with others.
(4) Activities involving inquiry based learning and why?
None of our activities involves inquiry learning. The reasons are in question 5.
(5) Activities not involving inquiry based learning and why?
The activity of Yating's is not totally inquiry based learning, because:
1) The task requires students to observe, compare and explore the attributes of several types of quadrilaterals’ diagonals, but it does not require and encourage students to discuss and share learning.
2) Students will not produce new theories or product after the task, because it just requires students to observe, compare and explore the attributes of several types of quadrilaterals’ diagonals and then fill out the table about quadrilaterals’ diagonals.
If there is one more step that assigned students to discuss with teammate and work out a conclusion, it would be batter.
The activity of Denise's is not inquiry based learning, because:
1) Actually, it is just a website with reading guides. The step 1~3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 just post the facts about “endangered species”.
2) Steps 4 and 11, which require students to answer questions, might be more difficult, but they do not need high-level thinking and the answers can be found out from the reading material directly.
3) There is no task for students to create new products. It, actually, is a reading activity.
4) There is no chance for students to discuss and share learning with others.
(6) The best rubric for assessing inquiry learning
The rubric of Yating's would be the better one, though Denise's covers most points of inquiry, because:
1) Yating's rubric includes "independence", which is one of the unique features of inquiry. In many types of activities, such as classroom activities, students just usually follow the teacher but not accomplish tasks independently.
2) Yating's rubric includes "High-level thinking”, which distinguish inquiry from other similar activities, such as classroom activities. In general classroom activities, students need to receive teacher’s orders and finish exercises, which always have only one answer and do not require high-level thinking.
3) Denise's rubric mentions “encourages questioning and investigation” and “encourages discussion”, which partially reflect “motivation”, but it is not enough. “Motivation” should be a very important part in Inquiry and become a separate criterion.
(7) Use the Wiki to create a new group definition of inquiry based learning & (8) Using the Wiki creae a new group rubric for assessing Inquiry Based learning.
In the new page named "New Group Definition and Rubric of Inquiry Based Learning
none
Optional: comment for page history
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